Mail-box.



10.747,82'0. ,PATENTED DBG,22,1903.

D; J. WILSON.

MAIL BOX.

' APPLIGATION HLBD'Nov. zo, 1902..

No MODEL. z sums-SHEET 1.

me Nonms perras oo.. mona-mwa, wAsnlNaToN. D. c.

PATBN'TEDl DEC. y22, 1903.

D. J. WILSON.

MAIL BOX.

Y APPLIGATION P ILBD Nov. 2o. 1902.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2,

N0 MODEL.

IHIIIIUMIHI-im wezuzow TH: Ndnms PETERS co, moro-uma. wAsHmcroN. D. c,

UNITED" STATES Patnted'ibeember 2 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID J. WILSON, F PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA;

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 747,820, dated December22, 1903.

' Application tiled November 20, 1902. Serial No. 132,118. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern,.-

Beit known'tnat I, DAVID J. WILSON, a citizen of the United States,residing in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, have invented certainImprovements` in Mail-Boxes, of which the following is a specication.

One object of my invention is to'so construct a mailbox that when the'same is opened all portions of the interior of the same will be visibleand accessible to the collector and all ofthe contents can therefore bereadily removed from the box, further objects being to properly protectthe mailing-slot of the box without interfering with free access theretoand to prevent theft of letters from the box through the mailing-slot.These ob.-

- jects I attain in the manner hereinafter set forth, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a longitudinalsection of a mailbox constructed in accordance with my invention andshowing the same partly opened. Fig.2 is asimilar View showing the boxclosed, and Fig. 3 is a transverse section on the line a a, Fig. 2. v

1 represents the fixed casing ot' the box, which may be either in theform of a casting or may be built up of sheet metal, as desired. Thisfixed casing or body of the box has a swinging lid or cover.2 withrounded top and vertical sides, the latter being pivoted to the sides ofthe box at 3, and the body of the box also has at one end a swingingdoor 4, pivoted at its lower end and connected to the sides of thepivoted and swinging cover of the box at points in the rear of thepivots 3 by means of side links 5, the connections being closer to thepivot of the door than to thoseof the cover, whereby an outward anddownward swinging movement of the door will canse an upward swingingmovement of the cover 2 of the box, as shown4 in Fig. 1, therebyproviding an opening ot' large area, through which th'e entire interiorof the box yis visible and accessible to the collector, so that there yis no excuse for failure to remove the entire contents of the box.

The swinging lid or'cover 2 has a depending hood'at that end of theboxwhich is provided with a swingingl door 4, this hood vcooperatingwith the swinging door to close the end of the box, and the connectionsbetween the lid or cover and the swinging door are such that the fullopening movement of the door will only cause a partial upward swing tersare being removed from the box.

. As mail-boxes are now constructed most of theinterior of the box isout of sight of the collector and many portions are difficult of access.Hence letters or other mailfmatter Whichbecome jammed in such portionsof the box are frequently overlooked for long periods of time. The door4 has side wings 6, so as tor prevent any lateral escape of letters whenthe dooris opened, these wings having segmental slots 7, which Vengagewith transverse bolts 8, carried by the body of the box,in order tosteady the door in its movements and arrest it when fully opened. Theswinging cover of the box may also be provided with side wings 10 withsegmental slots 11, which likewise engage the bolt 8, these wingsserving to steady the movements of the swinging cover and alsoprotecting the contents of the box from beating rain or snow when thebox is` opened. l

In order to 4frustrate any attempt to pry up the cover of the boxwithout first unlocking and opening the door 4, l'mount upon either orboth-sides of the body of the boxya pivoted catch 12, which engages withan internal lug 13 on the end portion of the'cover 2, and also with aninternal lug 14 on the door 4, so that any attempt to raise the Acover 2when the door is closed will bey preve-nted, owing Vto the fact that thecatch 12 cannot under these circumstances swing, because of its bearingTOO lowered sufficiently for the catch to engage with the lug, positiveengagement of the catch with the lug being insured by contact of the lug14 with the tail of the catch when the door 4 is fully closed.

Letters are passed into the box through a receiving-slot 15 at the endopposite that which is provided with the door 4, and in order to protectthe mouth of this slot from the elements the top and sides of the cover2 of the box are projected beyond the end of the same, so as to form ahood 16, which shields the slot at the top and on each side, and fromthis hood depends a swinging guard 17, which shields the front of theslot, the swinging guard having by preference a beveled inner face, asshown at 18, so that in passing the hand or a letter contained in thehand upwardly from beneath the guard the latter will be caused to swingoutwardly, and will thus permit ready passage of the letter through theslot 15 and into the box. The receiving-slot is tapered, being shallowat the rear end and deeper at front, and from the inner end of the slotextends downwardly a directing-plate 20, and in order to prevent thewithdrawal of letters from the box by means of the fingers or by wiresor other irnplements inserted through the slot 15 I mount upon atransverse shaft 19 of the cover 2 a series of depending swingingiingers 2l, which are sharpened at their lower ends and normally bearagainst the directing-plate 20, whereby any attempt to withdraw a letterupwardly along this plate will cause one or more of the lingers toengage with said letter and hold the same with a force depending uponthe amount of force exerted for the purpose of withdrawing it. Access ofthe contents of the box to the wings 6 and 10 or links 5 is prevented bylining-plates 22 at each side of the box.

A transverse plate 23 on the cover of the box serves to limit the depthof the shallow end of the receiving-slot 15, and thereby prevents theinsertion of bulky packages into the box.

The bottom of the box is provided with a transversely-corrugated plate24, of glass, porcelain, or other vitreous or ceramic material, thegrooves of this plate facilitating access to letters, postal cards, orthe like lying upon it and the character of the material preventinginjury to the contents of the box, which sometimes results from thecorrosion or oxidation of a metallic bottom.

Having thus described my invention, I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent- 1. A mail-box having a pivoted and outwardly-swingingdoor and a pivoted and upwardly-swinging top lid or cover with dependinghood at one end, said door and hood normally coacting to close thedelivery side of the box, whereby the area exposed for the withdrawal ofletters from the box is due to the joint outward swinging of the doorand the upward swinging of the hood of the top cover, substantially asspecified.

2. A mail-box having a pivoted and outwardly-swinging door at one endand a pivotedand upwardly-swinging top lid or cover with depending hoodat one end normally cooperating with the swinging door to close thedelivery side of the box, and connections between said swinging door andthe swinging lid or cover, said connections being closer to the pivot ofthe door than to those of the cover, whereby a complete opening movementof the door will elfect only a partial lifting movement of the cover,substantially as specified.

3. A mailbox having a swinging door and a swinging cover in combinationwith one or more pivoted latches engaging the cover and held inengagement therewith by contact with part of the door, substantially asspecified.

4. A mail-box having a receiving-slot and a projecting hood thereforhaving a swinging guard-plate pivoted at the top and depending in frontof the slot, said plate normally providing a passage for letters betweenitself and the front of the box, substantially as specified.

5. A mail-box having a receiving-slot and a projecting hood therefor,with depending swinging guard-plate pivoted at the top and normallyproviding a passage for letters between itself and the front of the box,said plate having a beveled inner side whereby it may be swung outwardby contact with the letter which is being inserted, substantially asspecified.

6. A mail-box having a receiving-slot and a swinging cover withprojecting hood having a depending swinging guard-plate in front of theslot, substantially as specified.

7. A mail-box having a receiving-slot and a swinging cover withdepending swinging guard-plate normally providing a passage for 4letters into said slot, substantially as specitied.

8. A mail-box having a receiving-slot and a swinging cover withdepending swinging guard` plate normally providing a passage for lettersinto the slot and having a beveled inner side whereby it may be swungoutward by contact with the letter which is being inserted,substantially as specified.

9. A mail-box having a body with receivingslot therein and a swingingcover part of which constitutes the top wall of the slot, but does notclose the mouth of the same, substantially as specied.

10. A mail-box having a receiving-slot with inwardly-extending plate, aswinging lid or cover having a portion which forms the upper wall of theslot, but does not close the mouth of the saine, and a series of fingerscoperating with the plate which extends inwardly from the slot toprevent withdrawal of letters from the latter, substantially asspecified.

11. A mail-box having a receiving-slot with inwardly-extending plate, aswinging lid or cover having a portion forming the upper wall of theslot, and a series of fingers hung upon said cover and cooperating withthe plate which extends inwardly from the slot to pre- IOO IIO

vent withdrawal of letters from the latter, fingers, said cover alsohaving a transverse substantially as specified. plate forming the upperWall of the slot, sub- 12. A mail-box having a receiving-slot withstantiallyas specified. inclined bottom and a pivoted and swinging "Intestimony whereof I have signed my I5 5 cover having a transverse platewhich forms name to. this specification in the presence 0f the upperwall of said slot, but does not close two subscribing Witnesses. themouth of the same, substantially as specied DAVID J.W1LsoN.

13. A mail-box having a receiving-slot with v Witnesses: to inclinedbottom, and a pivoted and swinging VF. E. BEOHTOLD,

cover having a series of depending swinging JOS. H. KLEIN.

